


The Brave One

by AllHailCatLord



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Canon breaking as fuck as well, Elsen POV, M/M, OOPS MY MISTAKE, fluffy as fuck, hahaha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 17:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7473417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllHailCatLord/pseuds/AllHailCatLord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are not enough people appreciating Elsens! They are cute and wheezy and they also sometimes go crazy and their heads explode.</p><p>Hahaha who am I kidding, this is pure self-indulgence that I for some reason felt the need to post on the internet. </p><p>Read this if you like canon-breaking Elsens smooching it up and being  adorably awkward together. Also have fun reading my head canons~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The one where I realize it's difficult to tell Elsen apart

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha
> 
> this is a 3am Elsen-adoration fueled NIGHTMARE.
> 
> have fun reading~

The day was like any other, bland and repetitive. He would go to his station, which was in the second area of zone 3, and label packages of sugar to be sent to either the post office all the way at zone 1, or to the cafeteria down in area 1. This building was next to the sugar treatment facility, but he dared not go near. The Elsen over there were... Protective.

Repetitive life was good, however. It meant if something wrong was going on he'd notice it almost immediately. Which is why he noticed the murmurs and whispers of the other Elsen around him. Not that they don't normally do that, it's just that the topic of their conversations had shifted from "sugar" or "rations" to "new guy" and "who's that".

 _A new person? Working here? From where?_ He thought. Maybe paying attention to the mumblings of his peers would prove useful this time.

"I heard he's from area 3!" someone spoke. "I heard area 4." another corrected. "Well _I_ heard that he got moved here 'cause he did something bad..." the others quieted to this, eager to hear what the Elsen had to say. "I heard he went against protocol and interacted with a spectre..." he trailed off, giggling. " _violently_!"

Some gasps, some _Ooh_ 's, some scoffs and a few giggles alongside the first one were made. _Wow_ he thought.  _Must be awful brave to do that._

This Elsen in particular had not really believed the posters saying the spectres were kind, or they'd leave you alone if you were nice. He saw what happened to one Elsen who did, and got a bit too friendly with a ghoul. Suffice to say, that Elsen did not end up leaving the encounter in one piece. Or even three. Or ten... At least he knew you could run away from them if you were fast enough.

As well, he knew of the Elsen's tendency to "pop" as he called it. Exploding into vicious fountains of acidic black liquid, smoke and screams, he preferred to stay away from as much danger as possible so this horrific fate never happened to fall upon him. Hence why he doesn't go near any of the "protective" Elsen of area 2.

As he made his way to his work station, he noticed another Elsen he had never seen before pacing around on the first floor. Seeing this was odd, as many of them look very much alike, with subtle differences to mark them apart. But this one? He was incredibly different. Well, he shouldn't say incredibly. A slightly taller stature and hair of a longer length tied back behind his head wasn't really enough for the word "incredibly", but for an Elsen, it was almost appropriate. And better yet, the new Elsen was approaching him.

"H-hello?" the new one stuttered. He seemed nervous, but his voice didn't seem as feeble, as weak as the others did. "I'm in the right place, right?" he asked. This Elsen fumbled to find his words, surprised that of all people the newbie would ask _him_ of this.

This Elsen's subtle difference was he was always playing with his tie, looking shy and unapproachable. Thin wispy hair, wrinkled clothes, and wide, tired looking eyes, he always thought he looked particularly pitiful, so why would the brave new guy- oh yes, he asked a question. Right.

"Uh... Hhhhum. Y-you, uh, w-were moved to the s-sugar labeling plant, c-correct?" This Elsen managed to stutter out. Damnit, he admired newbie for his bravery and here he goes looking like a incompetent fool!

"Oh good!" the new guy said, features brightening. "I've been assigned to office 1357, do you know where that is?" This Elsen gulped. That was on the same floor as him..!

"Y-yes, a-actually. Thirteenth floor, f-fifty seventh desk. Th-that's how the nu-umbering system w-works." he rambled. "M-mine is 1315, s-so we'll be working on the s-same flo-o-or."

"Ah," the newbie said, nodding slightly in acknowledgement. "after you!" he grinned, gesturing towards the open elevator. This Elsen wheezed a little, embarrassed already by the newbie.

Welp, there goes his good first impression.


	2. The one where this elsen screams and they hold hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting cheesier and shippier by the second, oh boy howdy we're having a great time!!!!! 8DDD

The sight of sugar was always welcome, reminding him why he did his job. A conveyor belt sent the packages of sugar in, and Elsen wrote numbers on them, their floor number, then desk, then number of the package, starting from one and going up. You could leave for the day once you finished the list, but if you were behind you had to work through lunch. The thought was horrifying to him. This Elsen was somewhere in the... 18500's? Probably.

After this Elsen finished explaining the job to the newbie, he set him off, showing where the desks 51-60 were, and then escaping to his own. He had long ago mastered his job, being able to jot down the two numbers in around a second, and the process had become automatic for him once he sat at his desk. Pick a package, floor, desk, number. Easy enough.

He let his mind drift. He thought for a bit about random things before his thoughts centred on the new guy. Why did he look so different? Why _did_ he get sent here? He couldn't have possibly harmed a spectre, that would be far too dangerous. But... What if he did? That would be so cool... So brave...! So... Unique! He smiled to himself as he thought.

Ohoho he would absolutely have to ask him about that later! But how could he? New guy was so much cooler than him (assuming the rumours were true), and this Elsen was sure he would have plenty of others trying to talk to him. After all, just because he talked to him this morning to ask him directions doesn't mean he'll want to talk to him again. Oh, oh no. Now he was completely doubting himself!

In the swirling turmoil that was his current state of emotions, this Elsen failed to realize he hadn't passed on the package in his hands. As he laid his head down on his desk in defeat, however, he noticed something was blocking its path. "A-ah!" he shrieked slightly, and hurried to put the package on the return conveyor. He huffed a little, and made sure to finish the next packages extra fast as to not risk losing his lunch break.

A chime was heard minutes later, marking lunch. It was closely followed by chairs scuffing the ground and the heavy patter of nearly a hundred feet. But one Elsen remained, filling out a handful of extra packages past the halfway mark to try and make up for slacking off earlier. One set of footsteps slowed down after noticing this.

"Hey," the new guy called over. "aren't you coming to lunch?"   
This Elsen scrambled when he heard the familiar voice, clutching the bag of half-labeled sugar. "O-oh. Uh. M-me?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Well? Aren't you coming?" The newbie asked again. "I-I was just, uh, t-trying to finish a few extras, th-that's all." The newbie laughed a little at this, and held out a hand for the other. "C'mon, don't worry about those. We can sit together, 'cause, uh, well, I don't r-really know anyone else here." he said, looking down a bit.

This Elsen paused for a moment to try and calm down. Oh boy. The Elsen who was essentially his make-belief idol wanted to talk to him? AND sit with him?! He felt his face heat up, and he coughed to try and cover it up. He stood up and gulped, and hesitantly walked over, taking the newbie's hand.

The newbie looked up at this, and smiled softly, and lead him towards the elevator down. He let go of this Elsen's hand once they were in, and this Elsen found that his hand felt significantly colder without the other's in its grip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why did I write this much
> 
> why aM I WRITING MORE????


	3. The chapter where this elsen finally gets a name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hahahaHAHAHA
> 
> lunch happens
> 
> foreshadowing to early-on plot twists
> 
> this elsen gets a name and can stop being referred to as "this elsen"

When they got to the lunch room almost all of the other seats were taken. This Elsen gulped at the sight. Oh no. He had caused the new guy to be late for lunch and now he wouldn't have a seat and now he'd hate him and now- "hey." said the newbie, distracting him from his thoughts. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't planing on eating with the others anyway. Besides, there was somewhere I else I wanted to sit."

This Elsen blushed, looking away. Had it really been that obvious what he was upset about? The new guy lead him into the line, and they waited for their portions of the sugar production, this Elsen a bit anxious from the new guy's promise to show him the "cool spot" to sit and eat.

This Elsen drifted off it in his own thoughts again, and before he new it he was at the front of the line with a bag of sugar in his hands and the new guy no where in sight. He heard a faint "hey, uh-" before the new guy started walking towards him from a small split in the huge crowd, mumbling "never mind..." He grabbed this Elsen's hand again and lead him out of the cafeteria, stuffing his own bag of sugar in his pocket.

"Nevermind?" this Elsen asked, curious of the mutters. The new guy sighed. "Uh, haha, y-yeah. It's stupid, just- I tried to call your name but I realized I don't know what it is. Never really got a proper introduction, huh?"

This Elsen blanched. What. An Elsen? With a name? He awkwardly looked around, as if it would get his point across, and the new guy stopped walking after noticing his discomfort. "W-what's wrong?" he asked.

This Elsen coughed, and rubbed his arm with his "free" hand holding the bag. The new guy started to catch on. "Wait... You don't have a name..?" This Elsen turned his head sharply, looking away from the other man. He was going to start laughing now, right? Make fun of him for not having a name? Or maybe he _would_ hate him like he thought he would before!

This Elsen slowly turned his head back when he didn't hear mocking laughter only to find the new guy to be grinning at him expectantly. He blushed at how close he was, and tried to look for an escape, only to remember the other was still holding his hand. The only option now was... Confrontation. "Um. Hey. W-what's up?" he asked.

The new guy squealed a little and his grin grew. "I'msosorrybutIwaswonderingifmaybeIcouldnameyou???" he asked quickly. This Elsen just blinked in response, making the new guy sigh, and the speak slower. "Ok, I know it's weird and stuff but I was maybe kind of sorta hoping I could name you. O-or something." he huffed out.

This Elsen, soon to be called something else, stared at the other. "O-or no-"  
"You'd do that for me?"  
The newbie started, cut off by this Elsen. Now it was newbie's turn to blush. "U-uh. Yeah, if you're ok with it."

This Elsen smiled, while a small one still an incredible meaningful one, and nodded. The other seemed to realize something, and started leading him off somewhere again. "I can figure one out once we get to the spot!"

The spot happened to be a small lookout point the newbie had seen on his way in this morning, from there being able to see plastic for miles upon miles, the third area being just barely in view in the distance. The newbie sat down on the ledge, legs dangling off towards the deep ocean, while the other sat with his legs safely crossed above the edge. "My name is Enn, by the way. Beautiful view, isn't it?" the new guy, Enn, asked.

"Y-yes, very inspiring." This Elsen agreed. You could almost see the smoke stack tops from here, the very tips of them just covered up by thick clouds. The ocean surrounded the factory, almost making it appear small from where they were. All in all, it was a lovely sight. Exactly the change one would need from their usual routine.

When he looked over, Enn had a pensive look on his face, head turned down towards the plastic. "Something wrong?" this Elsen asked. The other blinked, and then look up at him, smiling. "Dee." he said.

"W-what?" this Elsen asked. "Dee! I think the name suits you. What do you think?" Enn laughed. This Elsen thought for a moment.

"I like it." Dee answered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahanhghnhghahahaHA  
> I'm laugh-crying because I wrote this
> 
> I should feel shame but how could I?
> 
> I lost the ability to do so years ago.
> 
> Also haha what a cheesy ending


	4. The chapter where great googily moogily its all gone to shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You must be in deep if you've made it this far
> 
> well haHA PLOT TWIST
> 
> ... in the fourth chapter
> 
> meh, it's still gonna have a happy ending, despite it being OFF and all
> 
> oh yeah
> 
> uh
> 
> work is finished
> 
> Dee is horribly awkward in the bedroom
> 
> PLOT TWIST MWAHAHA

The rest of the day went as normal, Dee completing the rest of his work, then heading to his dorm. But every time he remembered the encounter, every time he reminded himself he had a name now, he smiled softly. The other Elsen filed into the dorms each taking their bunk. He laid down, and sighed, his shoulders relaxing after the... Exciting day he had.

Dee had picked a bunk in the corner so he could be away from the others. Well, as away from others one could be in this environment. A bottom bunk suited him, keeping him in a cage-like structure as he slept (not to mention it wasn't high up like the other bunk), making him feel safe.

Of course the top bunk could always fall down and crush him, but if the bars holding the bed up were a strong enough cage to withstand the imaginary threats around him, then they wouldn't let the top bunk fall. At least that's what he assured himself of many times before.

He was always at least a little worried of his safety, having originally been from zone 2. He was cautious, but less so than some of the other Elsen from Bismark, which may have been the reason he was brave enough to go to zone 3 in the first place. Oh, but he knew the zone 2 Elsen were considered "scaredy-cats" so he rarely mentioned it, less the others think worse of him than they probably already did.

Either way, not many Elsen enjoyed having a top bunk (it being a pain to try to not fall in a sleepy haze in the early morning at the very least) so he was one of the lucky ones, having the bed all to himself. That is, until he looked down from the bunk above his' bottom, and noticed Enn standing in front of the beds, smiling at him. "Um. Hey!" Enn started. "You don't mind if I sleep in the top bunk above you, right?"

Dee paused for a second, sat up, then looked away, shrugging. "No, I don't mind, b-but, uh." _But why my bunk?_ he asked himself. _I'm probably the wimpiest Elsen here, did I really make that good of an impression?_

"But?" Enn asked, smile falling and head cocking to the side slightly with his question. It would have been endearing, had the almost-pout Enn had not immediately panicked Dee, making him struggle even more for an answer. Gibberish at first, he cleared his throat a sighed, squeaking out only "why me?"

Enn's eyes widened for a second, before taking a concerned look. "I'm s-sorry if I made you uncomfortable Dee, I-I'm probably over stepping boundaries. I did already name you- I didn't mean to, r-really I'll find a different b-" he started rambling. Dee felt  
even worse, and against his better judgement surged forward to try and stop and/or comfort Enn...

... And promptly fell face first on to the floor.

The action did, however, stop Enn's rambling in its tracks, leaving unease in its place. Once Dee was sure the other was going to say "nevermind" and leave him on the floor to wallow in his failure, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Enn's voice, now quiet, ask if he was okay.

Quickly pushing himself up, he sputtered out "I-I'm fine." Dee got up and sat himself on the bunk behind him. "S-so, uh," Enn started again. "I'll go find a bed." He looked to the ground, and started turning, but was interrupted by Dee.

"Wait!" Dee spoke loudly, not quite shouting as to not disturb the other Elsen around them. "Y-you can sleep here! I didn't mean to be rude the comment earlier, I just mean, u-uh..." he paused, his voice going out when he thought of what he was going to say next. "W-what's so special about me? I mean there's plenty of other beds around here, why would you want to spend that much time around me?"

Enn blinked, cocking his head in confusion again. "Why wouldn't I? You've been so nice to me on my first day, I thought we could b-be, um..." he trailed of, smiling slightly.  
"friends?"

"O-oh." Dee muttered, face flushing. "U-um, sure! I've never had one of those before..." Enn chuckled at that, before it faded out when Dee didn't laugh with him. "Oh," he mumbled, "you were serious."

There was an awkward silence between them. Finally Enn decided to break it, clutching his belongings and sighing, saying goodnight to Dee before climbing the bunkbed's ladder and throwing his shoes down from the top bunk. As they clacked to the ground Dee looked back up at the top bunk's bottom, blushing again, before curling up in his blankets to try and sleep.

He was awoken hours later, to darkness and a quiet creaking sound. In the shadows he could make out a faint figure of someone slightly taller than the average Elsen, with hair tied back in a short ponytail creeping out of the room, a bag of something in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is life?
> 
> creating?
> 
> creation?
> 
> no
> 
> it's bullshit that's what


	5. the one where Dee is panicking for way too long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really greatful for the Kudos, so, uh, thanks!!!  
> On to the fanfic!
> 
> We learn stuff about Enn
> 
> We go through a day fairly quickly
> 
> We learn more stuff about Enn

Dee's eyes widened at the sight of Enn creeping out of the dorms. The others were all asleep, and the taller Elsen was careful not to wake them as he crept out of the building. Dee turned towards Enn more, and the sheets under him rustled. Enn stopped, and whipped his head around, searching to see if anyone woke up.

He stopped and held his breath, closing his eyes in an attempt to pretend he was still asleep as Enn's eyes passed over him. Soon he heard the near silent bump of shoe-less feet once more, and he pried his eyes open to keep looking. Only when the door clicked shut did he let out a sigh, scared and confused as to whether he'd confront his "friend" about this the next day. He fell back asleep worried what Enn was doing, the door's click sounding when everything fell to black.

The next day would've been as normal, had it not been for the fact that Dee woke up to an Elsen peering down at him from the bunk above. It didn't scare him that much, he told himself walking to the labeling building. He didn't draw too much attention when he screamed, at least. Enn had definitely not made him blush from embarrassment so much that it still hadn't faded now!

He gulped when he thought that, touching his warm face. Ok, those were lies. He shook his head slightly to relieve him of his thoughts, and continued on to his office. No confused Elsen on the first floor, no getting lost in his thoughts in the middle of his work. The same as always! Just go to work and don't worry about other people.

And hey! He could still live his normal life even with Enn there! It wouldn't be that hard, just make sure... to not... ask about... last... night...

The marker only slightly bled on the paper when he paused for a second, terrified at remembering the previous night. _Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it,_ he repeated in his head like a mantra. If he doesn't think about it, he won't get curious, right? And besides, he doesn't have to confront him about it, now or ever! And if he did feel compelled to ask Enn about anything, he could always ask him one of the questions he never got to yesterday!

But that brings up another problem... Would they even be meeting up for lunch again? Yeah, Enn had said he wanted to be friends, but he could be like that with everyone, and gain a whole giant group of friends, and they'd take up all of Enn's time, and Dee would get forgotten, and Enn wouldn-

"Hey Dee, c'mon, let's get lunch again!" Enn said, startling Dee out of his thoughts. He was standing in the entrance to his office (more so cubby), and smiling at Dee, as usual. Usual? He's been here for less than two days and there's already a usual for him.

"O-oh. Uh. Sure." he mumbled in response. They walked down together again, but had more space apart this time. Would Enn notice he was putting more distance between them? Dee looked towards the other. Who was humming slightly, a tune he had never heard before. When his head turned slightly towards him, Dee briskly looked away, hoping the other hadn't caught him staring.

Walking back to the same place the had eaten before, Dee tried to think of things to talk to Enn about other than last night. "So," he started when they say down, swallowing the last of his sugar. "W-which facility did you originally work at?"

Enn looked across the sea at the tall building ahead of them, smoke stacks high it the sky billowing a grey fog. He pointed to it. "Area 3, over there. Not that building, but close. The people here are much more friendly." he sighed. He looked towards Dee. "Don't get me wrong, it was still nice. It taught me a lot of stuff, and I did have a friend there!"

Dee looked down at himself, sitting carefully above the edge of the water, then to Enn, legs dangling towards it. "Where'd you get y-your name?"

The taller of the two thought for a moment. "The others had names, so when one asked, I named myself. That's why it's not the best." he chuckled. "I like it," Dee mumbled.

"Why were you a-actually moved here?"

Enn froze.

His expression darkened. "How much do you know about spectres?" he asked.

"They're not nice, you can r-run from them, and we turn into them w-when threatened." Dee listed. Enn nodded, seemingly in approval. "Good, but you're missing some stuff." Dee stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Sometimes, if put under too much stress, we can burn at random. Completely fine one second, practically dead the next. That's why we actually get a day off-" he said, before clearing his throat, "but that's not all. The other thing you were missing is that you can fight them, too. They can die, and not just because of the guardians."

Dee gasped. "W-wait so that was true? You actually fought a spectre?" Enn laughed at this.

"Fought it?" he asked, smiling.

"I killed it."

Dee wheezed. _Wow. He really is brave! He actually killed a spectre- I thought only Enoch and Dedan could do that! No wonder he's so different, he's amazing! He must be so powerful, and-_

Enn did not take the silence well. Dee sat there, in front of him, mouth agape, and Enn assumed that meant bad news. His prideful smile soon melted into a nervous one. "Uh, h-hey, D-Dee? P-please don't tell anyone ab-bout this. Dee?"

He shook his head to bring himself back to reality, but still had a unreadable expression on his face. "U-um, please don't spread rumours of this around. I-I don't want to be fired."

Dee finally frowned a bit. "Rumours? So it's n-not true?" Enn laughed quietly. "Oh, no, it's true, it's just that's not why I was moved," he grins. "Enoch only thinks I started a small fight with another Elsen. Thinks I'm a 'troublemaker', y'know? I am, just luckily not in they way he thinks.~"

Dee snorted a little at that at first. Then he giggled, which soon led to full-on laughter, which Enn joined. They laughed on the waters edge for a good five minutes together, and Dee thoughts weren't on the earlier night until later, when they were walking back to work, and he saw Enn sneak his bag of sugar into his back pocket.


	6. The one where he gets brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> questions
> 
> remembrance
> 
> confrontation
> 
> oh boy this is a fun chapter.
> 
> guess what! I drew them!!! ~ http://sta.sh/0l6b9kwk4q4 ~

The night was the same again. Dee woke up to Enn getting out of bed around the middle of the night. It had been around ten days since the first time he did that, making it every night for almost two weeks. The curiosity had been eating him alive, and filling it in with questions about where the other had previously worked weren't helping to stop it anymore. In the daytime the had grown to be good friends while the night scared him with what could be happening.

 _Tomorrow_ , he thought. _Tomorrow night I'll follow him_.

When morning came, it seemed like nothing had happened. Dee might've brushed it off as dream when it first happened if it didn't happen again the next night, and the next, and the next, since in the morning Enn was always back to his normal cheerful attitude.

"Hey, Dee?" Enn asked, walking to work with him, like he had been since the fourth day. "Are you alright? You seem upset." Dee looked up at him, but stayed quiet. He shook his head, muttering "I'm fine."

He was quiet all day, and didn't ask much at lunch like he normally did. No, just one question, that being "Enn, why do you never eat your sugar?"

Enn started, stuttering. "U-um, w-why do y-you want t-to know?" Dee looked up to him, trying to have an expression of curiosity rather than suspicion. "Because, you never e-eat it at lunch. When do you eat it?" he asked.

"Oh," Enn mumbled, pausing for a moment. "I'm never hungry at lunch, s-so I eat it during work." he supplied. Dee nodded to try and make it seem like he actually believed him, joking "I suppose the r-rules of 'don't eat during work' are kind of lame in c-comparison to the ones you've already broken, huh?" They both laughed at this, but it seemed to be fake from both sides, an uneasiness settling over them for the rest of lunch.

That night, before they got into bed, Dee took off his shoes as well, placing them carefully under the bed as to not draw too much attention.

He waited until he heard the click of the door closing before he got up. He briskly walked to the door, quiet enough so no one would wake up, and turned the handle all the way before opening, as to make as little sound as possible. What's the point of secretly following someone if you get caught?

Enn was a ways away from the dorms now, but Dee could still see him. He followed him from a distance, making sure he could still see him if he rounded any corners. He walked for a while, till they were far away from anyone. Enn hid behind a building making him unseen and unheard by anyone possibly walking past. He belt down by the water's edge and took his belongings out of his pockets.

Dee's eyes had adjusted to the dark, and he could see Enn holding more than just a bag now. A bowl too, and a small metal and plastic mechanism. He dumped the sugar into the bowl, and flicked the metal part of the mechanism, and a small flame appeared.

He put the fire up to the bowl, and as it started heating up the sugar changed, melting to a bubbling black. The liquid in the bowl gurgled and popped, and even smoked a bit. It looked almost like...

_"H-Hey, how are you?" the Elsen asked. "A-Are you ok? Your um..." the other pointed at the burnt's missing head. He was watching from around the corner, looking at the other confronting a pastel that had just turned from self-made fear. The burnt turned towards his coworker, and seemed to just... stare. "I could get E-Enoch. Does it h-hurt?" the Elsen took a step closer. The burnt took one too. In one fluid motion, the pastel burnt's claw raised up, then slashed down, slicing the other Elsen to ribbons. He had ran away until his legs burned, and his lungs were puffing smoke like the nearby factories. He still didn't feel safe._

Dee hid behind the corner again. He calmed his breathing, and heard the small fire-maker click again. _Should I?_ He asked himself. _What if he's dangerous?_

_Like the burnt?_

He bit his lip thinking, going over what could happen, each scenario sounding more and more painful. He looked back around. Enn had a strange container now, half-filled with a dark liquid. It looked like a tube of translucent metal that tapered off at one end. He chugged the rest of the liquid and wiped his mouth on his hand, dipping the container into the ocean, filling it with liquid plastic.

As Enn reached for the bowl, Dee breathed in, thinking how glad he was to have over heard Dedan saying the phrase "Fuck it" to Enoch. He rounded the corner and yelled "Hey," to Enn, startling him enough for him to drop his container.

"What are you doing?" he said without stuttering, expression stern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written chapter seven yet.
> 
> ...
> 
> Better get started.
> 
> *NOTE, now updated to better fit the schedule I made for these nerds!!!


	7. The one where stuff starts getting weird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha  
> Hahaha  
> Weren't expecting tHIS WERE YOU???
> 
> also I had this done awhile ago I just forgot to upload it wHoopsie
> 
> Pain
> 
> Suffering
> 
> Smoke
> 
> Sugar
> 
> Sounds like a fun description, don'it?

"D-Dee! W-What-" Enn yelled, stumbling back and falling to the ground.

"What are you doing?" he asked again. His face was serious, stern, but inside he was screaming. _WHAT AM **I** DOING?!_

"Dee... I... I didn't want you to find out. Please, it would be better if you didn't know." Enn sighed, refusing to look up at him.

"Enn..." Dee mumbled, stern face falling to a look of betrayal, his resolve finally giving out. "Please... W-What is this? Is it d-dangerous? Should I t-tell Eno-"

"O-Ok, wait, w-wait! It's not actually that b-bad, trust me!" Enn stuttered, standing back up slowly. "I'll explain. But please, please don't tell anyone. _Especially_ not Enoch." He waited till Dee nodded, before he guided him to sit against the back of the building with him.

"Alright, so... I used to work in zone 3, you know that. And you should also know that the factories over there are what create the sugar... But you don't know how." He sighed.

"I only know because one higher ups showed me around where he worked on my off day. Hence why I was allowed to move here at all. Had I been a shoveler like him, I would've been killed instead. Shovelers know too much, and if they become troublesome... well, yeah."

"Shovelers move the sugar, and the pre-sugar. The sugar is the collected sweet ashes of the burnt up pre-sugar. Dead Elsen." he laughed. Dee cringed. "Kinda gross, yeah? But at this point there's no turning back. Besides, it, uh, w-well..."

He turned his head down, his bangs blocking any view of his face. "Elsen can turn into burnt, yeah? Betcha didn't know that gross black acidic stuff was sweet."

Dee, uneasy, shuffled a little away from Enn. "W-What do you mean? What was the b-besides?"

He sighed, still not looking up. "I'm getting to that. Anyway, we're basically always made of sugar, or at least sweet stuff, and when we go burnt it just... well..." he flicks the bowl. "It burns it up."

Dee's anxiety was getting to be too much. He couldn't take it. "Get to the p-point already! Are y-you going to k-kill me or not?!" Dee stood up, prepared to run. Enn looked up at this, surprise clear on his face. "N-No! No, no no no! I just... I can do this!"

As he yelled, he swiftly raised his left hand. Black veins surfaced and appeared to crawl up his arm and neck, some connecting to his eye and mouth, and seeming to infect the whole left side of his face. His arm, though, kept turning black, and unlike the stunted spread through his face, grew till it covered his whole arm, black fluid wrapping around so it formed a sort of huge three-fingered claw. Familiar to Dee, he voiced his surprise in the most eloquent way possible.

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE A BURNT-" Dee shouted, cut off by Enn putting his still pale and normal-sized hand over his mouth. When smoke started to curl around it Enn's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his hands back to try and calm the other down.

"N-No, no, ok, I'm NOT a burnt!" he sighed, backing away slightly. "I-I just. Can do this. I guess. From only eating burnt sugar?"

Dee took a moment to calm his breathing, before asking "H-How could that do..." he gestured to his half-burnt left side. "THAT."

Enn laughed a little. "You expect me to know? I only do it 'cause Wes told me. He was the one that showed me the shovelers, told me about sugar and burnt, and got me to name myself. I learned everything I know from him..." he sighed.

"He was the reason I killed a spectre. It had hurt him, and I killed it to protect him. He, uh, told Enoch I had attacked him when we had argued over sugar." he said, the blackness in his side retreating back under his work shirt. Dee though for a moment. "S-So he saved your ass?" he asked.

Enn stilled, eyes wide with shock before he burst into laughter. "D-Did you just c-curse?!" he sputtered out between fits. Dee smiled to himself. "I dunno, I-I think I like it... Cursing s-suits me!"

When Enn's laughter died down, he turned to Dee. "Yeah, I guess he did save me. But..." he frowned. "I wish I knew what happened to him. I'm not sure if he's dead or alive, and given what his job was, I'm kinda scared it's the former."

They sat together quietly for a while, thinking, before Enn broke the silence. "My break is tomorrow. Saturday? How about you?"

Dee blinked a bit before realizing Enn had asked the question. "O-Oh. Uh. I usually just work through mine s-so I don't g-get behind..."

Enn sighed. "Ok, but what day is it?" he asked.

"... Saturday."

Enn grinned. "You wanna spend it with me? I can show you all the cool stuff I know!"

Dee thought for a bit, then realized he probably used the term 'Fuck it' a bit too much. Only in his head, of course, but as of late a in a dangerous amount.

"Sure."

Dee got up to go back to the dorms, but as he was going to stand a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Hey, wait. We don't have anywhere to be. It's our break. You should sleep here!" he said smiling.

"O-Outside? Are you s-sure?" he asked, nervous. He couldn't be serious...

"Yeah! Mornings are the best outside, you get to see the sunrise if you wake up early enough." he said, patting the metal of the ground beside him.

As Dee sat down again, he was absolutely sure he used the term 'Fuck it' in a dangerous amount. But like he said, cursing suits him.

He sighed. "F-fuck it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha lol is Enn a Mary Sue?  
> Or would he be a Gary Stu since he's a guy?  
> Or maybe Marty Stu...  
> Hmmm...  
> Either way I do not regret giving him burnt-powers because later I'll put in like angst or something
> 
> Idk
> 
> Make it so he's still challenged so he's not a Mary/Marty/Gary Sue/Stu y'know?
> 
> Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm shit at writing but I still know the rules of making a good character-!


	8. The one where- HOLY SHIT IT'S ZACHARIE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wowow  
> I'm really happy so many people like my stuff!!! :3  
> You wanna make sure I know you like it?  
> Tap the kudos button!!!  
> Tbh that's why I started writing it again :/  
> I posted it to amino and SO MANY people liked it and I blushed a lot
> 
> So yeah
> 
> Have more fic!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They go on the monorail
> 
> MyStErY gUeSt!!!
> 
> Jk it's just Zachman
> 
> Oh yeah and I guess Dee learned how to do that from books? Or something?
> 
> Dee gets a little homesick too...
> 
> Ridin' on trams!

It was sometime around 4 in the morning when it happened. He saw the sunrise for the first time. He was sitting by the shore line, side by side with Enn, his knees pulled up against his chest as he watched the cloudy sky move from deep indigo to purple-pink-orange to a faded blueish light grey.

Dee didn't say anything after Enn had woken him up, saying a quick "It's starting soon, look- look!" before settling beside him to watch it himself. Dee had rubbed his eyes groggily, and didn't understand- until the sky changed before him. He had never seen it, always being inside when it had gone from night to day (or reverse), and after the sky turned its normal almost-grey, Enn sighed.

"Pretty isn't it? Don't get to see it very often..." He mused. Dee stared on in awe. "Uh," Enn nudged him. "You ok there?" All the other did in response was mutter "I... I've never..."

"W-wait, seriously?!" Enn gasped. "I can't believe- what else have you not- oh my god Dee!"

Dee shrunk down because of his yelling. His words were so scattered and quick they were almost gibberish, only the occasional "Oh and I have to show you-" or "We absolutely have to see-"

"O-Okay." Dee stopped the other. "W-what about t-today?"

"Today? Oh- Today!"

Enn stood up quickly, trying to take Dee with him. "It's Saturday, yeah?" he asked. Dee nodded, confused, in response. "Then the merchant will be here! Have you met him?"

Dee blinked. "Who?"

"Ok, so you haven't. Good!" Enn finally got Dee up, and started towards the main paths, leading him by the hand and once more making Dee blush. He looked around, then took off towards the monorails. "W-who is 'the merch-chant'?"

As they walked Enn occasionally looked back at Dee. "His name is Zacharie. He sells stuff. Usually meat and other random shit he finds. He's really good at giving advice, and will even go get information for you!" Enn exclaimed.

"For... The right price..." he mumbled after.

Dee followed him to the monorail, and got on alongside him. When they walked on to the cart, there was someone else there. The man had black hair, a white t-shirt with a heart on it, and a mask, seemingly like a cartoonish frog. The man was rummaging through an absurdly large backpack when Enn let go of Dee's hand and hurriedly ran towards the stranger.

"Zacharie!" Enn yelled. The masked man seemed surprised at first (judging from his tense body language, at least), but soon chuckled and twirled around, greeting the Elsen.

"Ah, hello. What may I do for you today, my dear customer?" the masked man laughed. "This is Dee- I named him- and I wanted you to meet him!" he said, pushing the nervous Elsen forward towards the merchant.

"Uh- hhhhello." Dee pitifully waved.

"Ahah, bonjour mon amie!" Zacharie laughed, putting a hand out. Some of the tension seemed to seep out of Dee at this, and he shook the Merchant's hand. "V-vous parlez français?" were the next words to leave Dee's mouth, though a bit quiet and unsure.

Zacharie's eyes widened behind his mask, before crinkling as if he was smiling. "Oui! C'est bon de rencontrer un autre francophone!" Zacharie laughed. Enn looked between the two, confused. Dee smiled, replying with "Ils semblent être rares..." before finally turning back to Enn. He snorted a little at the other's expression, before apologizing for getting carried away.

Enn looked at them again. "That was... French, right?" Zacharie nodded, adding "it isn't often I find another francophone, so I'd love for you to visit again! Ah, but dear customer, you did want something else, correct?"

Enn nodded. "Oh, yes, do you remember Wes?" Zacharie tapped his mask thoughtfully. "The shoveler? The scruffy one?"  
"Yes! Is he... Ok? Like, alive?"  
The masked man chuckled. "Hmmm... You have any credits?"  
Enn shoved a hand in his pocket, the crinkling of unknown objects very loud in the monorail cart.

"Credits?" Dee asked. The merchant nodded, and explained. "They're currency, mon amie, and you can find them almost anywhere around here. They're usually gotten from spectres, but with the amount of those in this zone, I'd be surprised if you couldn't find them laying around in the cafeteria!" He seemed amused by the statement, but Dee simply looked towards Enn again, nervous.

Apparently his timing was just right, because at that exact moment the other Elsen pulled two green bills out of his pocket- credits, he assumed. "Still twenty, right?" Zacharie nodded. "He's fine. Actually- he asked about you, just a while ago."

"Really? Twenty credits for just that?" Enn laughed, and Zacahrie shrugged. "I'm not getting much business anyway. Ah, but where are you two headed?"

Enn thought for a moment before responding. "Well, we were going to go to see you, but because of this I suppose we might as well go see Wes!" he smiled.

Zacharie nodded in understanding, then bent down to his backpack, zipping it up and hoisting it onto his back. "I suppose then I shall be seeing you later, then. I was heading back, as I have business in zone 2, you see."

"Zone 2..." Dee murmured, though the others didn't hear him over Enn's enthusiastic "Ok!" as Zacharie left the cart, waving a hand behind at them.

The ride to area three was only a few minutes, but to Dee it felt much longer with all his worrying about what this "Wes" person was like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so it's not the most complicated French but it's there so if you don't know what they're saying it's basically  
> D: "wait dude u speak French?"  
> Z: "shit man yea boi! I haven't found somebody else that does in a while tho"  
> D: "yea boi they rare af lol"
> 
> You know  
> How I said  
> Mystery guest  
> At the start?
> 
> Well
> 
> Um
> 
> There will be in chapter nine
> 
> I mean it's not really a mystery but you don't know what he looks like and I'll be drawing a picture to go with it so yeah but HEY
> 
> NEW PERSON
> 
> :I


	9. The one where oh boy there's a lot of new people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um
> 
> So I had to add a few more tags
> 
> Hope you like the new characters!
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think of them!
> 
> (So you should leave a comment telling me that cause then I'll blush while responding to you)
> 
> So uh yeah
> 
> Area three of Vesper!
> 
> Meet an Elsen
> 
> Walk past an Elsen
> 
> Go into a room and guess what?
> 
> MORE ELSEN!

They seemed to wander aimlessly around the factory for a while, before Enn found what appeared to be a garage-esc door on the side of the building, a smaller, very much locked door beside it. He knocked on it three times, a slight pause before the last one. A wide eye appeared in the small window at the top, and a faint voice called out "Enn?"

Enn smiled and waved at the eye, and it disappeared from sight for a moment, before a click sounded and the door unlocked. An Elsen, slightly built and taller than Enn opened the door, grinning wide. His hair was shaved at the back underneath his hard hat, and he had... Something on his chin. Hair? But that doesn't grow there... His eyes were unnerving. Too big. 

"Enn! It's good to seeya lil'buddy!" the tall Elsen said, and holy shit his voice was deep. That's not a normal Elsen voice. It was deeper than normal, and slightly raspy and that scared Dee. The tall Elsen grabbed Enn around the neck in the crook of his arm, and ground his other fist into the top of his head, and despite the action looking rather painful, Enn was laughing.

"Wes- stop- Wes-!" He laughed, playfully pushing the other away. He chuckled one more time when he escaped, and then muttered "it's good to see you too."

The tall Elsen's smile went from teasing to sincere, and he hugged Enn, close. _Oh_. Dee shuffled awkwardly, feeling... Guilty. Like he was intruding. _Like he wasn't supposed to be here_. The words kept repeating in his head till Enn backed away. The tall Elsen Ruffles his hair one last time, before Enn turned towards Dee.

"This," he gestured towards him, "is Dee. I named him." he grinned. "Dee, Wes. He taught me basically everything I know."

The taller Elsen- Wes- held out his hand. "Nice t'meetcha Dee!" he said with a large, toothy smile. Dee was terrified, but managed to shake his hand despite that. The other Elsen's calloused hand practically enveloped Dee's, and he hoped that the others couldn't hear his internal screaming. "N-nice t-t-to me-meet you t-to." he managed to stutter.

Wes pulled back his hand and stared at him, smile dropping a bit. He turned to Enn asking if he was normally like this. Dee was shaking like a leaf. Wes chuckled, and shook his head. "Ah, doesn't matter. You want ta' see the factory?" he asked Dee, grinning.

Enn, luckily, intervened. "H-hey, Wes- don't you think that's a bit much?" Wes looked between the two. "I suppose. At the end of the tour, then?" They both looked to Dee, who was panicking. "S-s-sure..."

Enn looked between Dee and Wes, somewhat suspicious looking, before seemingly remembering something and breaking out in to a grin once more. "Oh- I know where I wanna show you next!" he exclaimed, grabbing Dee hand to lead him away from the large main building. Wes followed behind the two, walking slower yet still keeping up do to his height. Dee could feel the taller Elsen's eyes boring into him, Enn completely oblivious.

They walked into a tall building, lights flickering overhead making the long hallways just that much creepier. Enn walked up to a wall, sterile-white lab coats hanging from hooks on the wall in a line. He grabbed three, putting one on himself and handing the other two to Wes and Dee.

"This is the building where I used to work, Dee!" Enn explained happily as he slipped on his coat. "We ha- they have to sort the sugar here. Y'know, refine the raw stuff, take out all the big crispy bits? A bunch of my friends work here!"

 _More people_... the thought wasn't immediately appealing to Dee. _Would they be like_...

"Oh yeah!" Wes exclaimed beside him. "They'll want to seeya' too, won't they? Know that your healthy as a horse and all!~" he laughed. _Horse?_ Dee thought, before he was dragged along between Enn and Wes again, the former holding his hand as he guided him.

The slight blush that it brought was quickly blanched when he saw one of the other workers stalking down the hallway. The silence other than the clean click of shoes on tile as they approached gave way to the other's heavy breathing, a disgusting wet wheezing.

His head was turned down, and the flickering lights gave him a sinister shadow as they approached. His legs wobbled every step he took, and as they grew closer Dee soon realized that he was tall. Taller than Wes.

They were about to pass the Elsen when his head suddenly snapped up to stare at them, his eyes so wide they were practically bulging out of his head. Enn paused his pace, and his grip on Dee's hand tightened for a moment. He continued walking, mumbling "don't look," but Dee couldn't take his eyes off the other too-tall Elsen as his neck almost twisted backwards to watch them. Before he looked away he saw him slowly grin, teeth sharp and black.

After what felt like forever, they entered a room at the end of a hallway. Dee shuffled slightly closer to Enn when he noticed the three other Elsen in the room with them. One his height, one Enn's height, and one Wes's height, all wearing lab coats like the one in the hall. They were all beside a conveyor belt of some kind, a light powdery substance filled with grime and bits of coal mixed in on top of it.

Enn, still reassuringly holding Dee's hand, led him towards the three. "Hey guys, guess who's back!" Wes piped up from behind.

The first to turn around was the tallest one, who's eyes were almost as big as his smile. Huge eyes seemed to be a common trait around here... He noted, as the other two turned, both with large eyes at the tallest's exclamation upon seeing them.

"Enn! Buddy! You're alive!" the tall one shouted, running to Enn and sweeping him up in a crushing hug, making him let go of Dee's hand. The shortest giggled as he walked over, the middle-sized one close behind.

When the tall Elsen let go of Enn, he turned towards Dee. "Aaaaand new guy? Nice ta' meetcha' new guy!" Dee hid a bit behind Enn, but he just pushed him back towards the taller, grinning Elsen.

"Dee, these are my friends. From when I worker here? This is Bale," he gestured to the tall one, "Gio," he gestured to the middle-sized one, "and Kyu" he gestured to the shortest one. The one in front of them, "Bale" stretched a hand forward to Dee.

Bale's grin lessened slightly as he noticed Dee's hand shaking in his own when he finally received the handshake. His grip loosened slightly on Dee's hand, and he smiled wide again, only... Softer?

He turned around to find Wes whispering something to an excited Enn. He responded with "really?!" and when Wes nodded, quickly turned back to Enn.

"There was something here that I really liked to visit when I was here- but, I uh, don't really think you'd like it. Are you okay with staying here until I get back?" he asked, a hopeful yet guilty smile on his face.

Enn gulped, before reluctantly saying "y-yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please PLEASE leave a comment! I would really apreciate feedback, because honestly? It's what motivates me to write at all! So, uh, yeah. Tell me what you think of the new guys!


	10. The chapter where Bale's cute and Wes is kind of a dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oOOOh
> 
> I wanted chapter 11 to be in this chapter too but then it wouldn't give you enough time to hate Wes before-  
> Ah, hahahaha, nonono, I'm not telling you that.
> 
> Anyway
> 
> Bale! Kyu! Geo!  
> They're the new trio!  
> They are really nice and cute!  
> And kinda creepy too!
> 
> That didn't really rhyme but I'm not complaining because I like Bale
> 
> (even though his name is weird)

They left. They just left. Enn had thanked him, said goodbye and then left him... With...

"Well, I guess we'll be looking after you!~" Bale commented cheerfully. "Ah, don't worry. He won't be gone for that long, and besides, there's no reason to be afraid of us!"

Geo laughed, and barked out "yeah, we don't bite..." Dee turned around and gulped, looking at them and trying desperately not to stare at their too-big eyes. It's not like they were as bad as the Elsen in the hallway, but they still... Were unsettling. Pale skin marred with dark under their eyes, their wide grins not helping to calm him down... They looked like they were seconds away from... From...

He coughed a little, and when he saw the smoke rose from his mouth he... Wasn't surprised. _This is... This is..._ He thought. _I don't like this..._

"Woah, woah there little buddy. I mean, the three of us could probably hold our own against a spectre, but we'd rather Enn's new friend stay kickin' for a bit longer," Bale chuckled nervously, smile dropping. He looked contemplative for a moment, before remarking "you're from bismark, aren't you?"

Dee inwardly cringed, upset they had figured out, but nodded. "H-how'd you know?"

Kyu smiled and spoke up for once, "I'm from there too!" Dee gaped at him, surprised. That would explain the height... Kyu laughed at his surprise, and walked up beside Bale. "It took me a while to get used to the stuff here too, but trust me, it's not that bad!"

Dee froze for a second, then sighed. "I know... I'm j-just... Hhhhh... All this stuff is n-new and everything is happening s-so fast and I think Wes hates m-me and..." He gulped. "I j-just don't know what to do."

The three Elsen frowned, and approached him. "H-hey, listen..." Kyu started. "It's obvious he trusts you enough to bring you here," Bale continued, smiling in a way he probably thought was comforting. "And, I mean, if Enn likes ya' then Wes definitely does, at least a little bit." Geo finished, shrugging.

Dee smiled. Maybe... Maybe they were alright. They were Enn's friends, after all. "Th-thanks... I guess I needed that. You guys... Y-you seem really nice." He sighed. Bale squealed, and rushed up to him, hugging him and lifting him off the ground. Dee choked on whatever he was going to say next from his unexpected elevation, still swinging in the air in the vice-like grip when Enn walked through the door.

He was laughing at something Wes said, but stopped when he saw the pair. "Bale, what are you doing..?"

Bale looked surprised for a moment before he put Dee down, and shied away from him, looking sheepish. "He's nice. I like him..." He muttered, before waving them off when they started to leave. Enn laughed "what was that all about?" as he left, and Dee was following right behind him, until a hand shot out to stop him.

Geo, who at some point slunk outside, stared for a moment, eyes large, but half-lidded. He grinned and patted Dee on the back chucking. "You're a nice guy. It's rough out here but from what I've seen... Enn likes ya'. He'll keep ya' safe." Dee wanted to question what that was all about, but decided against it when Enn called out his name.

The sky was a dark grey when they got out, signalling that the sky above the thick layer of smoke was turning to night. They discarded the lab coats in a laundry bin outside the factory, and headed towards back where they came from- the large building with the garage doors, where Wes worked.

As they neared the doors and Wes said goodbye to Enn, Dee was prepared to leave, when last second, Wes called out- "hey shortstack, where do you think yer' goin'? We still have a tour of the last facility." Wes had on a sickly grin as he ushered him and Enn through the door.

"Wait, Wes-" Enn interjected, stopping him from shoving Dee through. "I'm still not sure if this is... A good idea. Dee... You do know what's in here, right?"

He looked through the crack between Wes and the door way. There was a wall of shovels and thick rubber gloves, as well as...

A tub of cleaner and a pink mop.  
He somehow guessed it hadn't started that colour.

"Th-that's w-where..." He gulped. "That's w-where they burn the bodies. T-to make s-sugar. Right?"

Wes nodded, smiling, and offered to guide them in again, clearing the doorway. "Y'know, not many Elsen get to see in here. You'd be one of the lucky few!" He laughed.

Dee shivered at first, but soon hardened his expression and stood up straight, trying to appear brave. "Okay. I'll do it." He said, pride swelling in him when he didn't stutter.

Wes stopped laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehhehheheh.
> 
> How do you like Wes now????
> 
> I love Wesley boy
> 
> He's great
> 
> :)


	11. The one where shit happens, like, actually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sugar ovens aren't a good place for those who are faint of heart.
> 
> Dee finds that out the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ACTUALLY ensues the second arc, the cautious arc, rather than the first, the suspicious arc, which was chapters 1-7
> 
> Have fun.

"Are you sure? The furnaces can be a little... gruesome." Enn said. Dee nodded, and entered the dark building when Wes stepped aside, the clearing the doorway. He could feel his stare in the back of his head as he passed through into the front room, hard hats and steel-toed boots lining one wall.

The cracking and sputtering from the fire was audible from there, and the air over them felt too hot and too dry. It felt like it was trying to suck the life out of him. Dee's resolve broke a little. He felt a hand curl into his own- Enn's. It was... Comforting. He could do this.

Wes cleared his throat before speaking. "These here are the furnaces. The room up there is where he extracts the sugar- his name is Jona, I wouldn't bother him if I were you- and down here is where I shovel the dead bits into the fire!" be smiled, leading the two to a large door. Flecks of paint were chipped off of it, showing layers of rust underneath. It looked unsanitary to say the least.

"Dead b-bits?" Dee asked. Wes snorted, nodding. "Eyup. We can't fit a whole body on one shovel now can we? You gotta break 'em up first with the sharp bit on the end. The sound's gross at first, but you get used to it." Dee shuddered, the time he had seen the burnt suddenly rising in his memory. He was shaken out of his thoughts when Wes slapped a hand on his shoulder, saying "Won't be a problem, will it?"

"N-no, I can handle it." Dee muttered, lightly squeezing Enn's hand. Wes pushed the handle, and the door swung open with a metallic screech.

The air billowed out of the room like a wave, heat washing over him. Wes walked in first, and Dee followed soon after, the smell of smog and something else sickeningly sweet almost overwhelming him. The opposite wall had a section at the bottom, an intimidating fire roaring inside. There were a few shovels leaning on the wall next to the door, tall and heavy looking. Dee was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to lift one. And in the corner...

He nearly hurt himself by how fast he turned away from the corner, the image burned into his eyes. There was a large pile of dead bodies, not all of them in one piece. He finally realized what the other smell was. Blood. Irony and sugary in equal parts, he could strongly smell the dark red liquid seeping from what once was his coworkers. He let go of Enn's hand as he walked to the opposite side of the room, gagging a little. It could've been him. It could've been him. _It could've been him. He's seen it before_.

The fear rose up him, tasting like bile in his throat. He _couldn't_ handle this. It was all so unsafe... What if he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? What if a spectre got to him when he was all alone? What if someone burnt to close to him? What if... _What if Enn... What if he_...

He swore he saw images of himself in the pile, before the sharp stinging in his chest snapped him back to reality. He heaved in, but nothing happened. He couldn't breathe. It felt like his throat had closed up, and his eyes started watering. He coughed the remaining air out of his lungs, and exhaled thick black smoke instead. No. _No. No no no no no **please**_.

He felt his legs give out from under him, and he tried desperately to keep himself from collapsing, arms shaking to try and hold his weight. _This can't be happening. It can't be_. His limbs felt like they were on fire as he coughed again, more smoke escaping, and a tarry liquid coating the inside of his mouth. _Please. I want to live. I've only just found a friend I don't want to lose him now_...

He couldn't breath, the smoke and tar-like sugar clogged his throat. He couldn't see, his ears were welling up with tears. He couldn't feel, the burning had made his hands go numb. And he couldn't hear, a loud ringing in his ears had settled, making him feel like he was completely alone.

 _Enn_...

He tried again to breath. It wasn't working. _I can do this._ He gasped and wheezed, the black sugar drooling out of his mouth. _I can do this for him_. He coughed, hard, splattering the disgusting ooze on the ground. _I can be brave_.

He breathed in, and the fire in his lungs finally started to cool.

He felt his arms finally give out, and he fell. But he was alright. He kept taking quick breaths, watching when his exhaled that there was no smoke. He held a hand up and clenched it, trying to will away the staticky feeling in his skin. He wiped his face with his sleeve, cleaning the tears and most of the sugar off. He was alive. He didn't burn. _He was alive_.

"D-Dee..?" Oh yeah. He looked up, turning towards the others. He could see the pile from where he was sitting but... His eyes lingered on it. It wasn't him. It wasn't anyone he knew. It had already been done. He was fine. He turned his focus to Wes, who looked a mix of shocked and... annoyed. And Enn...

Dee snapped himself out of his hazy state of near-death when he noticed how Enn was looking at him. He was crying. He looked kind of... pitiful. Dee pulled himself up, and, after wobbling a bit, walked towards him. He was about to reach him when Wes stepped in front. "I don't think so. You gonna burn or not?"

Dee blinked, and shook his head. Wes didn't seem convinced. Dee attempted to clear his throat, which instead lead into a small coughing fit, before speaking. "N-no, I'm fine. Really. No more smoke." He winced as he spoke, throat sore and voice raspy. Wes looked between the two, and seemed to begrudgingly step aside.

Before he could take another step, Enn ran up and grabbed him, hugging him tight. "Are you ok?" he whispered, not letting him go. Dee patted his back, feeling his shoulder wet from the other's tears. He laughed a little, before muttering that he was fine. The shadow of guilt lingered over him as he comforted Enn. He scared him badly... If his hyperventilating slowly melting into hiccuping was any sign.

When Enn finally let go of him, he turned to Wes. "Anything else t-to show me?" The taller Elsen looked confused for a moment, then surprised. "Oh. Oh yeah. Uh. No, not really. That's most of it. I'd show you upstairs but, uh, Jona and all. He's always kinda grumpy."

Enn seemed to laugh nervously, adding "yeah, and we wouldn't want to bother him! We, uh, we should head back before curfew anyway." Dee looked at him, somewhat disappointed, but agreed. _He's probably worried it'll happen again. That I'll actually_...

The started to head back to the monorail, Enn leading Wes and Dee. Wes stopped for a moment, catching Dee, yelling over to Enn. "You go on, I wanna talk to him for a second."

Dee looked up at the other, trying not to be intimidated... and failing. At least he was more nervous than scared. "Listen, kid," he started. "He likes you. I can tell. But if you're going to be... pulling shit like that? I wouldn't get to close, if I were you. Shape up or leave him alone. You got it?" he finished with a sharp poke to Dee's chest.

Dee hardened his features, and pushed Wes's hand away. "I understand." he said, looking him dead in the eye, before walking back to Enn by the monorail.

He heaved out a shaky sigh as they boarded, bravery draining out of him, replaced with anxiety and regret. Oh god. That was a horribly experience. He made it through it, but he never wanted to have to do that again. If that was truly the fear you went through when burning... He shivered, and Enn seemed to notice his fidgeting. "Are you sure you're alright? I don't... I don't think I've ever actually seen someone get that close and not burn..."

Dee calmed himself, replying "yes, I'm sure. I just... I guess I'm less... scared now. It's fine, really." Neither of them spoke for the rest of the trip, simply sitting next to each other and trying to get both of their breathing patterns back to normal.

They slept in there beds that night, and if Enn had snuck away Dee wouldn't have noticed. He slept too deeply, caught in a dream that felt like if should be a nightmare, of him burning, face melting in with the shower of black coating his arms. He knew what he was doing. He knew who he was hurting. But despite that, he didn't wake up. He didn't try to.

 _Because he felt alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, like, burning, at least for Dee, is like having a REALLY BAD panic attack, where you kinda go into a catatonic state. Don't blame him, he is SUPER afraid of death. He's a zone two Elsen, what do you expect, they'd burn over getting a paper cut. 
> 
> Oh.   
> OH YEAH!   
> I almost forgot! I have an amino titled Dee & Enn, where I post all the updates, and, soon, art I've done of scenes from the fic! So far I have the noogie scene, the scene where Dee confronts Enn, the scene where Dee is left alone with the trio, and my favourite, the sunrise scene!


	12. The one where it's actually more focused on building zone 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I uh  
> Haven't really said much about this  
> But this kinda contains a bunch of headcanon-y stuff  
> That starts to get more obvious here  
> So yeah  
> Uh  
> Bismark!  
> Who doesn't like bismark?  
> And books!

A slight nudge to his shoulder finally woke up Dee. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, hair mussed from sleep. "Dee? It's uh- it's nearly six." Enn muttered as the other sat up. The room was nearly empty. "I wanted to let you sleep since you usually wake up on time, but you never woke up, so... Uh. Yeah." He seemed to lose his train of thought as he trailed off.

"I-is it at least thi-thirty minutes before work st-starts?" Dee groaned as he put his shoes on, having apparently taken them off again last night. Enn nodded, and walked off towards the door. He quickly combed his hair into a less tangled mess, and decided to only change his shirt. It's not like anyone would notice if he wore the same pants anyway.

He sighed and headed to the door, only pausing for a moment when he realized Enn was still there. As soon as the other spotted him, he motioned for Dee to come closer. "I was hoping we could walk to work together, if you're okay with that." Dee agreed, and they walked together, both about a minute or two late.

Dee was... Exhausted. He huffed as he sat down at his desk, starting to write down the usual numbers. 13, 15, 18812, 13, 15, 18813, 13, 15, 18814, 13, 15... he always let himself think once he got into the pattern. So repetitive and easy...

... This morning wasn't normal. He doesn't sleep in. Not even on weekends. Why did he today?

... Must've been the furnaces. Messing with his mind... Ok, ok, think of something else. Not the furnaces. Think about... uh... Enn! Yeah! Enn... He had been really worried. He had cried. He cared! That meant he cared! Don't worry about anything else! Cause that would lead to the furnaces again...

Alright. This wasn't working. He stared intently at the package of sugar in his hands. He couldn't just take a break. No matter how much he might want to, that is. He didn't even feel productive. Just... frustrated. This sucks. Everything sucks. Why did he even go to the furnaces. Wes hates him. He made Enn cry... The only good part was finding another Elsen from Bismark.

... Bismark.

Home... He hasn't been home in, what, twenty years? Not like he could leave. But home was nice to remember, at least. You could work, but you didn't have to. The mall had the occasional customer, and the library was peaceful. The Elsen there were more cautious, easy to frighten, but not too bad. There were only the occasional burnt there, and of course, the whales. Spectre wise, it wasn't as bad as Vesper.

The residential area had been great too. Welcoming to the newcomers, comforting to the nervous. He had lived there for most of his time there, moving closer to the library for his job, and then moving... here... to Vesper. It felt a little like a rock had settled in his stomach. He had never really felt homesick before. Not even when remembering Bismark like now. What was so different?

The bell marking lunch brought him out of his thoughts, and he finished writing on the package he'd been holding. He swivelled his chair around just to jump a little when there was something right behind him- or, more so, someone. Enn gasped slightly at Dee's surprise. "Oh- no- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scared you!" Enn apologized. "I just wanted to walk to our spot together..." Dee just brushed it off, saying it was fine, and agreed to go with him.

When they got to their spot was when Dee brought up going back to area 3. "What? W-why- why would you wanna do that?" Enn asked. Dee shrugged. "I l-liked Kyu. It was nice to see another person from zone 2." Enn blinked at him for a second. "Wait, you mean you're from zone 2?"

Dee nodded, eyeing his bag of sugar. "Y-yeah. I worked at the library back then, but that was... uh. Twenty years ago." Enn's jaw dropped. "You're twenty?" Dee shook his head, deciding to simply hand the bag to Enn. "I'm thirty. I spent t-ten years in Bismark." Enn went quiet for a moment, just blinking at the other and shoving the bag in his back pocket, before mumbling "I'm only fifteen."

"Oh." was all Dee could think to respond with. It's not like the age gap really made any difference since they were all made as adults, but it was still kind of startling. Enn was only half his age... it felt weird to know that. That he had been alive for twice the amount that Enn had, and yet Enn seemed so much more comfortable around people, and was so much... braver.

"Well, anyway, tell me about- uh, 'Bismark' was it?" Enn suggested, breaking the awkward silence that had formed. Dee nodded. He told him about Japhet, about the library and the huge city, about the mall and the island far out having construction done on it. When he finally finished talking, he looked back at Enn, who looked... sad. "You're crying." he noted, and Dee checked his cheek. He hadn't noticed himself tear up, and the eye that had started stinging a bit.

"Oh. I w-wonder why?" he asked, rubbing his eye and wiping his face with his sleeve. Enn looked confused. "I'm not p-particularly homesick. I never am. Sure it was nice, but I chose t-to move out here." Dee muttered into his arm. Wait. He remembered something. Something that he hadn't thought about in years. "Hey, E-Enn. You wanna see a b-book from the library?" The other's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Enn asked, obviously excited. "You, uh, know how t-to read, right?" Dee asked, to which Enn responded with a pout. "H-hey! I have to make sure... that's a more important skill for B-Bismark and Alma, not here. I don't know!" he laughed, pushing the taller Elsen's shoulder playfully. Enn chuckled alongside him, and walked with him back to the labelling building after lunch.

That night Dee reached behind his bed to grab the bag wedged between his bunk and the wall. He turned around to Enn sitting on his bunk beside him, and placed the bag between his legs, looking inside it.

He pulled out the first book- one of his favourites- a horror, about a child lured into a strange macabre candy factory alongside a few other children as they slowly get picked off one by one. In the end the main child manages to not get killed by the trap set for him, and the candy maker get angry because of it at first, but then gives the factory to the child who didn't die, so he could continue his violent legacy. He handed the book- and a few others- to Enn, and as he searched for more he paused for a moment, hand running over a familiar cover.

He blushed. He remembered _that_ book. He grabbed one more- another horror, about a girl getting lost in a horrifying and confusing world where the only thing that made sense was a talking cat- and closed the bag. "Th-that should k-keep you b-busy for a while! G'night!" he stuttered as he shoo'd the other off the bed. Enn seemed confused at first, but shrugged it off and climbed to his own bunk. Dee sighed, then pulled out the book he had been so worried about. _A romance novel_.

It was cheesy. It was bad. It had the worst plot, and it even had bad... ahem. Dirty things. But it was still his favourite. He blushed harder remembering the so-called dirty things, and went to put the book away. But... he hesitated. He hasn't read it in years, after all. Maybe it's better than he remembers. His eyes lingered on the book, and he had a moment of indecisiveness, before giving in and putting the books away... Well, all but one, which he planned to reread.

He woke up with a book on his face and the taste of smoke in his mouth. He had the dream again. He remembered it too.

He didn't tell Enn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't uploaded anything in a while  
> I'm kinda stuck on chapter 13  
> I'll try to get it done  
> Comment  
> Or don't  
> But the support might help to get me out of my funk?  
> I don't know

**Author's Note:**

> The chapters look a lot smaller on here than they do in notes...
> 
> Well, anyway.
> 
> I hope you liked the cheesy Elsen sIN.
> 
> Comment if you did.
> 
> Comment if you didn't.
> 
> Honestly, I don't care, I wrote this for myself and I both love and hate it.


End file.
